A Convenient Parallel Dimension

How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever

By: James Greene Jr.

Narrated by: Tim Dixon

Length: 11 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

"Rarely has a movie this expensive provided so many quotable lines."

So wrote Roger Ebert in his review of Ghostbusters, the 1984 blockbuster that combined our paranormal fears and fascination with some of the sharpest comic minds of the day. Ghostbusters instantly resonated with audiences thanks to eye-popping special effects and crackling wit; to date, it remains the highest grossing horror comedy of all time. The film spawned an Emmy-nominated Saturday morning cartoon, a tent pole 1989 sequel, a contentious 2016 reboot, legions of merchandise, and one of the most dedicated fan bases in history. Ghostbusters also elevated its players to superstardom, something a few cast members found more daunting than the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Now, for the first time, the entire history of the slime-soaked franchise is told in A Convenient Parallel Dimension: How Ghostbusters Slimed Us Forever. The cohesion of talent during the mid-'70s comedy revolution, the seat-of-their-pants creation of the first Ghostbusters, the explosive success that seemed to mandate a franchise, the five year struggle to make Ghostbusters II, the thirty-one-year struggle to make Ghostbusters III—it’s all here, with incredible attention to detail. Thoroughly researched and engaging, A Convenient Parallel Dimension smashes long-held myths and half truths about the dynamics behind this cultural juggernaut and presents the real story, down to the last drop of ectoplasm.

©2022 James Greene Jr. (P)2022 Rowman & Littlefield

Great read and informative (minus 1 thing)

This is a great book for fans of the broad series and culture and was way more in-depth with the films, production, casts, producers etc than I could have imagined or hoped for. Definitely worth a listen big time.

My only gripe is that the author, seemingly out of nowhere, got extremely preachy about the 2016 Remake, literally blaming Donald Trump’s presidency campaign for the movies low box office numbers and poor reception. And I’m not even a Trump supporter and I enjoyed that movie for what it was…. But give me a flipping break, dude.

Overall with the except of that mess this book is phenomenal and a treat for any fan.

Very thorough!

This treatment given to the subject of Ghostbusters was possibly the most expansive I've ever seen in a single book. everything about everyone involved with the franchise is on the table.

Very informative

Lots of information about the movie, and the stories behind them definitely a must listen to for ghost heads

Nothing short of amazing

I learned so much from this book and have that much more love for the series that I hold so near to my heart. James Green opens your eyes to things you would never have thought of and Tim Dixons narration is the perfect delivery method.

If you love the GB franchise, you’ll enjoy this title.

This is an all encompassing book that depicts the foundations of the perfect storm that created the original phenomenon. It then drags us through the ups and downs that bridge us from the 1984 film emerging triumphantly to “Afterlife” leaving us with hope for the future. My only criticism is, there is a point near the end where it becomes a bit too political and even preachy to the point where a portion of the blame for the lack luster success of 2016’s reboot (which I genuinely enjoyed) is laid laughably at the feet of a controversial politician. Other than this misstep, in my opinion, the book had me intrigued by letting the reader effectively be a fly on the wall throughout the whole process. Definitely worth the price of admission!

An odd journey

As a Ghostbusters fan, I found some of this book interesting. That said it goes in a lot more different directions than just that, and while interesting, wasn't what I personally was looking for.